Recent research based on US hospital statistics revealed a worrying fact. Accordingly, the scientists linked cannabis consumption to increased heart attack risks. The results of the study carried out by the Avalon University of Curacao were officially presented Friday, October 19th, at the World Stroke Congress in Montreal.

The researchers covered data from over 1,000 hospitals across the United States to observe the trends in heart attack prevalence among recreational cannabis consumers. After analyzing more than 2.3 million hospitalizations over five years, from 2010 and 2014, the scientists found an increased rate in heart attacks.

Over the before-mentioned period, the investigators uncovered a 15 percent increase in all kinds of heart attacks and a 29 percent rise in acute ischemic stroke due to cannabis consumption. The same results were identified in patients of all ages and all medical conditions.

Also, “the trend is increasing,” said Dr. Krupa Patel, the leading author of the new study.

“We also looked at the general population, and we didn’t identify any trends, meaning that the rates of stroke in the general population were stable,” Dr. Patel added. Also, the research admitted that, even though the analysis indicated that cannabis consumption might affect the brain’s blood vessels, more studying is needed to establish a clear connection between the two.

“More prospective studies need to be done to understand where the 15 percent and the 29 percent increases are coming from,” Dr. Krupa Patel said.

While previous studies on drugs use linked tobacco and cocaine to increased heart attack risks, this is the first to make a preliminary connection between cannabis consumption and stroke. Also, according to Patel, further research is needed to see if there is also a connection between marijuana use and other illicit drugs consumption.

“It’s one study, and we need more research to establish if there’s a link between cannabis users and heart attack and stroke,” Dr. Krupa Patel concluded.